Conveyer lubricator



Jan. 16, 1945. KANTER 2,367,354

CONVEYER LUBRICA'IOR l Filed Dec. 1, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

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Jan. 16, 1945. v E. H. KANTER 4 2,367,354

CONVEYER LUBRICATOR Filed Dec. 1, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 FIE 2 20 Z1 15 45 0 54 VFIE'. 14a

A BY 29 W M ATTORIVZY Patented Jan. 16, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates generally to lubricators for conveyer Ibelts as used in bottling plants, but more specifically to an applicator containing a lubricant or a liquid soap for uniform and controlled lubrication of said conveyers.

The main object of the invention resides in the provision of means to uniformly apply and distribute a lubricant or liquid soap throughout the width of a conveyer belt such as a link chain belt adapted to carry cleaned or sterilized empty bottles to another belt conveyer adjacent the filling apparatus, the bottles being displaced from the first mentioned conveyer to the second by an arm causing a sliding movement. For such sliding movement, the first mentioned conveyer must be completely covered with a film to reduce friction and prevent the bottles from toppling, crowding and breaking.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an applicator constructed to intermittently yield predetermined and controlled quantities of a lubricant or a liquid soap across the entire width of the conveyer belt along a specific area thereof for economic distribution. Incidental to such object is the use of a trough to serve as a trap for excess lubricant and in connection with said trough is a pump for returning the excess lubricant to the applicator.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the progress of the disclosure and as pointed out in the appended claims.

Accompanying this specification are drawings showing a preferred form of the invention wherein corresponding reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, showing bottles in their consecutive positions in connection with the showing of the sterilization plant,

the conveyer belt and the applicator.

Figure 2 is a top view in elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front view in elevation of Figure 1 with the trough and pump omitted.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view partly in section showing bottles on a second conveyer belt adjacent the filling apparatus and being fed thereby to said filling plant and removed therefrom to the packing plant by means of a third conveyer belt.

In accordance with the invention, and the preferred form shown in the drawings, the sterilizing plant in association with a chain belt, conveyor shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is provided with conventional end members I and H secured toand has as a rear wall a moving frame provided with a plurality of spaced horizontal rows of openings such as Ila, lb and Mo to contain bottles M, the said bottles being sterilized both on the outside and inside therein. The said moving frame indicated generally by numeral 14d has intermittent vertical motion sothat when the bottles [4 attain the position of the lowermost row I40, spaced and vertically disposed guide bars l5 are raised to release the bottles in the lowermost row of openings Me on to an inclined support l6 disposed between the end members l8 and II. A movable stop H at the lower end of inclined support l6 maintains the position of the bottles M. In order that said bottles on support It attain the vertical positions shown in Figure 1 on a horizontal shelf I8 between the end members l0 and II, stop I! is withdrawable following the movement of the bottles on horizontal shelf l 8 on to the conveyer belt generally designated by numeral 20 by means of a pusher arm I9 actuated by side frame members Illa. Moving frame 14d, guide bars I5, lower stop l1 and the pusher arm l9 are adapted to operate in synchronization whereby upon the displacement of a predetermined number of bottles by movement along the conveyer 20, a fresh series of bottles are pushed on to the conveyer belt.

As shown, conveyer 20 is of the link chain belt type and is comprised of a series of sections 2| secured together by suitable means such as hinges 22, the underside of the upper flight of conveyer 20 being supported by an elongated strip 23 while the underside of the lower fiight of conveyer 20 engages supporting idlers 23a. Strip 23 supporting conveyer 28 is disposed on an elongated channel 24 spaced from and disposed below horizontal shelf l8, the said channel being secured by means of extensions 25 secured to transverse shafts 26. Each shaft 26 (only one being shown in the drawings) serves as the moving means for conveyer 28 and has secured thereto spaced wheels 21 and 28 provided with aligned notches 29 in which the hinges 22 of belt 20 are engageable. Wheels 21 and 28 are provided with the conventional external bearings 30 and 3| and an internal bearing 32. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a guide plate 20a is provided along a portion of the conveyer 20 and has suitable supporting means as indi cated by numeral 20b. I

In connection with the applicator hereinafter to be described, belt 20 is provided with a trough 33 with an outlet 34 leading to a pump35. A return 36 from pump 35 leads to said applicator generally designated by numeral 31. A second conveyer 38 shown in Figure 4 is disposed adjacent to conveyer 20, the said conveyer 38 leading to filling apparatus comprising a rotating member 39 having a series of spaced and radially disposed curved arms 40 operating on a circular table 40a, the said table 40a being in communication with a third conveyer 402) leading to the packing apparatus. The rotating member 39 has intermittent motion and is adapted to transfer the bottles l4 from the second conveyer 38 to the third conveyer 401) following the filling operation. An arm, not shown in the drawings, transfers the bottles l4 from conveyer belt to the conveyer belt 38 and for such operation, it is necessary to uniformly apply and distribute a lubricant or liquid soap throughout the width and length of belt 20 to prevent toppling, crowding and breaking of the bottles during such displacement from conveyer 20 to conveyer 38. For the same reason, conveyer 38 should also have a film distributed throughout its width and length for the sliding motion of bottles l4 induced by the rotating member 39.

For purposes of uniformly applying the liquid lubricant to the conveyers such as conveyer 20, the applicator or reservoir 31 is employed and is suitably secured adjacent the front edge of end wall In at the beginning of the upper flight of conveyer 20 by means of a bracket 4|. The applicator or reservoir 31 is preferably comprised of a rectangular body having the lower portions of the front and rear walls 43 and 44 taperin toward each other, the body having a cover 45 and a handle 46 for filling purposes. As shown, the return 36 from pump 35 penetrates the front wall 43 of the reservoir. 1

A plurality of transversely disposed and spaced outlets 48 each having control knobs 49 are secured to and depend from the lower wall 41 of the reservoir, the lower open ends of said outlets being spaced above the conveyer 20 as shown in Figure 3. The adjustments of control knobs 49 control the amount of flow from each of th outlets 48 and are determinative of the amount of fluid released across the width of conveyer 20 and the period of flow or drip.

From an inspection of Figure 1, it is seen that the lubricant flowing from each of the outlets 48 may be differentially controlled and the excess lubricant retrieved by means of pump 35 forcing such excess back to reservoir 31.

I wish it understood that minor changes and variations in the location, material, integration and number of parts used in the embodiment of the invention may all be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a flat top run, a plurality of spaced outlets secured to the said reservoir for the intermittent dripping of a predetermined quantity of lubricant across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects resting thereon, and means to return the excess lubricant from the conveyer to the reservoir.

2. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a fiat top run, a plurality of spaced outlets secured to the said reservoir, each of said outlets having means to control the amount and period of flow across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects resting thereon, and means to return the excess lubricant from the conveyer to the reservoir.

3. A lubricator device for conveyersfrom which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a flat top run, a plurality of spaced outlets secured to the said reservoir for the intermittent dripping of a predetermined quantity of lubricant across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects resting thereon.

4. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a fiat top run, a plurality of spaced outlets secured to the said reservoir, each of said outlets having means to control the amount and period of flow across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects resting thereon.

5. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a flat top run, an outlet secured to said reservoir for the intermittent dripping of a predetermined quantity of lubricant across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects restin thereon, and means to return the excess lubricant from the conveyer to the reservoir.

6. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a flat top run, an outlet secured to said reservoir for the intermittent dripping of a predetermined quantity of lubricant across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects resting thereon.

'7. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a flat top run, an outlet secured to said reservoir having means to control the amount and period of flow across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects resting thereon, and means to return the excess lubricant from the conveyer to the reservoir.

8. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a fiat top run, an outlet secured to said reservoir, means to control the amount and period of flow across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidabl removal of said objects restin thereon.

9. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a flat top run, a plurality of spaced outlets transversely disposed across the bottom wall of said reservoir, each of said outlets having means to control the amount and period of flow across the width of the upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects resting thereon.

10. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a flat top run spaced below said reservoir, a plurality of spaced outlets secured to said reservoir and disposed above the conveyer for the intermittent dripping of a predetermined quantity of lubricant across the Width of the said upper surface of said run of conveyer to facilitate slidable removal of said objects resting thereon.

11. A lubricator device for conveyers from which objects are slidably removed comprising a reservoir for a liquid lubricant, a conveyer having a flat top run spaced below said reservoir, a 

